In July
the Crickets make their debut at Harlem's Apollo Theater on a bill
with Ruth Brown and the Sonny Stitt jazz combo. In August the first
Crickets release for Jay-Dee comes out. It is #777 and is "Dreams And
Wishes" and "When I Met You". Nothing much becomes of this release
and in October the boys try again and the result is more of the same
- #781 "Fine As Wine" / "I'm Not The One You Love" get very little
airplay and little in the sales charts. During 1953 wholesale changes
took place in the personnel lineup of the group. The one constant was
lead singer Grover (Dean) Barlow. Robert Bynum, William Lindsey, and
Joseph Diaz replaced original members Harold Johnson, Gene Stapleton,
Leon Carter, and Rodney Jackson. In January of 1954 the Crickets
record a cover of the pop tune "Changing Partners" which was a hit
for Patti Page and Bing Crosby among others, and the reverse was the
song "Your Love" on Jay-Dee #785. Once again sales and airplay elude
the quartet. A quick following release comes in mid February on
Jay-Dee #786 - "Just You" and "My Little Baby's Shoes". Shortly
thereafter Jay-Dee #789 - "Are You Looking For A Sweetheart?" /
"Never Give Up Hope" is out. In October the final Jay-Dee release by
The Crickets is produced #795 - "I'm Going To Live My Life Alone" and
"The Man In The Moon". It is quickly forgotten as are many of the
previous recordings by the group.

That
November in 1954, Davis for some reason, perhaps just looking for a
change in fortunes, decides to reactivate his previous label Beacon
for the first time since 1948. He will use The Crickets as the
performers on the very first record on the new/old label, numbering
it #104. The ballad side is called "Be Faithful" and was backed with
"Sleepy Little Cowboy" by The Deep River Boys. On "Be Faithful" the
label lists the group as Dean Barlow & The Crickets. As the story
goes, Joe Davis did not like the name Grover, and so Grover Barlow
became Dean, lead singer for the Crickets. Finally the group sees
some success, just as the history of the group as a recording act
came to a close. As sales continued to increase for the record,
Barlow was now groomed as a solo singer for Davis and his records
were to be released on Jay-Dee Records adding to the confusion. "Be
Faithful" got extensive airplay on New York radio from Alan Freed and
Doctor Jive, and the record became the biggest selling record in the
entire existence of both The Crickets and Dean Barlow.

The
success of the Crickets record seemed to rub off on the Barlow solo
effort as his first for Jay-Dee on #799 "I'll String Along With You"
a remake of a pop song from the thirties, had decent sales and
airplay (the flip side was the tune "It Doesn't Happen Every Day").
The followup solo records "Forever" / "Don't Leave Me Baby" on
Jay-Dee #803, and #805 - "True Love" / "My Life Is Empty Without You"
were not nearly as successful. Barlow has a number of other solo
efforts on a third Joe Davis labels Davis Records. "As God Is My
Judge" on Davis #444, "My Life Is Empty Without You" / Truthfully" on
#446, and "True Love on #450. With the demise of the Crickets and the
lowered expectations of his solo career, Barlow later recorded with
The Bachelors with Bill Lindsay, Bill Baines, and Waldo Champen)
"Dolores' / "I Want To Know About Love" on Earl #101, and "Baby" and
"Tell Me Now" on Earl #102 and The Monterreys (same members as The
bachelors) "Dearest One" / "Through The Years" on Onyx 513. In
October of 1957 Joe Davis dusted one from off the shelf and he
released "The Man From The Moon" and "I'm Going To Live My Life
Alone" on Davis #459. An additional side for Onyx - "Tell Me Why" and
"Angel" by The Monterreys was not released for twenty
years.

Dean
Barlow continued to record as a solo performer in the late fifties -
early sixties for UT, Warwick, Seven Arts, Lescay, and the Rust
labels without any enduring success. A strange version of "Be
Faithful" was issued in the early sixties that has a morn modern
musical backing re-recorded along with the original vocals. This
seemed to be an unusual postscript to an interesting
career.

Dean
Barlow certainly had one of the most expressive lead voices during
the R & B era. My two enduring memories of him were his great
vocal on "Be Faithful" one of my all time ballad favorites, and his
solo version of "I'll String Along With You" which was one of the
very few records during the "Moondog" era that my Father could stand.
He really liked that record. For some unknown reason, that Barlow
solo record was a local hit in Oklahoma City during late '58-early'59
where I happened to be at the time during military service. It was
like welcoming back an old friend for a little reunion. The Crickets
were another of those vocal groups that were never trend setters,
never style makers, never earth shakers. What they were was a
competent, accomplished R & B vocal group with a mellow style
that never seemed to disappear from the scene. And they definitely
added to the enjoyment of the musical times, and still provide
wonderful memories of days passed.